The News

SPIA Student Named SEC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year

May 2014 | Students News

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama, May 7. GEORGIA swimmer Shannon Vreeland has been chosen as the 2013-14 Southeastern Conference H. Boyd McWhorter Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year, according to an announcement by the league office.

Golfer Cory Whitsett of Alabama was named the Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

Chosen by a committee of Faculty Athletics Representatives from the SEC universities, Vreeland and Whitsett will receive $15,000 postgraduate scholarships from AT&T and the Allstate Sugar Bowl.

"Cory and Shannon demonstrate a commitment to excellence that makes them the ideal choices for the H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Award," Commissioner Mike Slive said. "This is the SEC's most prestigious award and they deserve this honor because of their hard work that allows them to excel at the highest level in their sport and in the classroom. I congratulate them as outstanding representatives of their respective institutions and the SEC."

Vreeland, an Overland Park, Kansas, native, is a double major in Economics and International Affairs and is on target to graduate in December. She currently holds a 3.83 grade point average. Vreeland was named a recipient of the Ramsey Scholarship for Academic and Athletic Excellence and chosen as the recipient of the Lisa Coole Memorial Scholarship. She is a past member of the Capital One Academic All-America and CSCAA Scholar All-America squads.

Vreeland is a member of the UGA Honors Program and is in Palladia, the Student Government Association, the UGA Leadership Academy, Blue Key and Omicron Delta Kappa.

Named to the SEC and Athletic Director honor rolls, Vreeland serves as a swimming and diving representative on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and was chosen for the SEC Community Service Team. She previously was recognized as the SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year for swimming and diving.

Vreeland placed second in the 200 freestyle, fifth in the 100 freestyle and sixth in the 500 freestyle at the NCAAs as the Lady Bulldogs won their second straight national championship. She came in second on the 800 freestyle relay, third on the 400 medley relay and fourth on the 400 freestyle relay at the NCAAs.

Vreeland, a team captain, won the 200 freestyle and placed second in the 100 and 500 freestyle at the SEC Championships as the Lady Bulldogs won their fifth straight title. She finished first on the 400 and 800 freestyle relays and second on the 400 medley relay at the SEC meet.

Vreeland won a gold medal at the 2012 Olympics and three gold medals at the 2013 World Championships.

Earlier this year, Vreeland was recognized as the Kansas City Sports Commission's Sportswoman of the Year.

"Shannon has earned everything she's gotten by setting her goals and working hard every day to reach them," said Harvey Humphries, Georgia's acting head coach. "She's world class in all that she does because she never has a bad day and she never stops working. Her level of commitment is amazing. She's been a tremendous ambassador for our program, and we're so proud of her for earning the Scholar-Athlete of the Year recognition."

"I am honored and humbled to receive this recognition," Vreeland said. "I have coaches, teammates, support staff, professors, classmates and friends who have helped me grow so much during my time in Athens. You are cared for here on so many levels. I'm grateful for what we've done in the pool and equally grateful for the educational opportunity I've had. I'm pleased to accept this award on behalf of the University of Georgia and everyone associated with Georgia swimming and diving."

School of Public and International Affairs

Department of International Affairs

Feb 2015

SPIA student Kathleen Wilson is honored to be this week's UGA Amazing Student. Wilson is a Foundation Fellow who has traveled the world and is now working in Washington, D.C., with the U.S. Department of State in preparation for her career advocating for the political, economic and social rights of women and girls worldwide. "My first semester at UGA, I took a Spanish class, an Arabic class, an international affairs class, an economics class and a chemistry class," said Wilson. "Reflecting on the past 2 1/2 years I have spent at UGA, my experiences often seem like my freshman course load—a bit random and disjointed. Nonetheless, they have wonderfully blended together to form the cohesive narrative of who I am and what I’m passionate about."

School of Public and International Affairs

Department of International Affairs

Feb 2015

Professor Andrew Owsiak has been awarded the 2015 Russell Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. Owsiak, who joined UGA's faculty in 2011, uses innovative methods while teaching Introduction to International Relations, Peace Studies and Crisis Diplomacy courses. Described as a "natural teacher" by a colleague, Owsiak uses simulations and role-playing that create visceral reactions from students, instilling in them the passion that he holds for the subjects. His work in the classroom has driven Owsiak and a colleague to study the effect of instructional techniques-whether lecture-based, discussion-based or simulation-based-on learning.

School of Public and International Affairs

Department of International Affairs

Feb 2015

SPIA alumna Shannon Vreeland received an NCAA Today's Top 10 Award, which recognizes student-athletes for their successes in academics, athletics and in the community. Vreeland, a native of Overland Park, Kansas, helped the Lady Bulldogs win their second straight NCAA title and their fifth consecutive SEC championship last season. A 19-time All-American, Vreeland swam on four NCAA-winning relays during her career: the 800-yard freestyle relays in 2011, 2012 and 2013, and the 400-yard freestyle relay in 2013. She also earned two individual and five relay titles during her career at the SECs. Vreeland helped the 800-yard freestyle relay squad set the American record, while the 400- and 800-yard freestyle relays eclipsed the U.S. Open and NCAA marks.

School of Public and International Affairs

Department of International Affairs

Globis

Dec 2014

America is in deep turmoil. Incidents of police violence have resulted in the deaths of several unarmed African-American citizens, spawning protests in cities across America and even in England.
Many expert observers define this conflict primarily as a racial issue, while others point fingers at the flawed judicial system or inadequate training on the part of police personnel. Still others see the root cause as pre-existing structural violence where unbearable distributive injustice is becoming progressively more acute.

Since its inception in 2001, the University of Georgia School of Public and International Affairs is honored to call four Rhodes scholars, two Marshall scholars, three Carnegie Junior Fellows, and three Truman scholars graduates of its programs.

Department of International Affairs
School of Public and International Affairs
The University of Georgia
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